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Hey folks, welcome to the Aamodt/Plumb YouTube Channel where we give you tips and advice for creating a Slow Home that is Good, Clean, and Fair. If you are a DIYer looking to save some money while saving the planet, then stay tuned because you’re going to like what we have in store for you today. In this video, you will get our curated list of the best restored and repurposed furniture videos on YouTube. No need to go searching yourself because we have done it for you. These are some awesome creators and we’re really excited to share them with you. I am Mette Aamodt, cofounder of Aamodt/Plumb Architecture, Interiors and Construction, and we design eco-friendly, Slow Homes for our clients every day. Hit the subscribe button and the notification bell so you don’t miss any of the new videos we will be putting out.

Mette Aamodt: This is a six part series on sourcing eco-friendly furniture. In the first video, where we talked about the goals and sources for eco-friendly furniture, we mentioned that restoring and repurposing furniture is the most sustainable option. The reason is because it requires no new production, pollution, and waste, it reuses existing materials, and, in some cases, it provides jobs for local restores. And since we are not DIYers ourselves, or at least I’m not, and there are tons of great creators on YouTube already doing this, we thought we’d be best to give you a roundup of our favorite restored and repurposed furniture videos on YouTube.

MEGAN BELL

The first one is this video from Megan Bell. On her channel, she does a lot of DIY, macrame, and other home projects. In this video, she repurposes an old dresser by painting it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and Annie Sloan Wax. This paint is low VOC, non-toxic, and water-based, and has a matte finish that is beautiful for furniture. The wax is made from beeswax and it dries in a hard finish but has a velvety touch.

PERSPECTIVE DESIGN

The next one is from Perspective Design. Matt and Heather Hallum are a really cute couple selling repurposed vintage items. They’re focused on items that have a history and help you tell your story. They have a monthly market in their shop in Hobbs, New Mexico, and they travel around to furniture fairs like Junk in the Trunk Vintage Fair in Pomona, California, and Marburger Farms Antique Fair in Round Top, Texas. They have an online shop and an Etsy store as well. In this video, they show us how to use things you find in a flea market, like old rope and a dough bowl that you can use as a sculptural centerpiece, or old chicken feeders that can be repurposed into interesting industrial lights or a dish display or a mail sorter.

DIY PASSION

Next step is DIY Passion. Aaron shows us how to clean thrift store finds. In this video, she picked up an old buffet cabinet that’s in pretty rough shape. It has gouges in it, one of the glass doors is broken, and it has a really bad thrift store odor. She talks about how to remove that old furniture smell, first of all by using sunlight, which is a great natural deodorizer, and then using baking soda and vinegar. If that doesn’t work, she does have some more toxic options if it’s really, really bad.

Quick question. Are you a DIYer or do you prefer to let other people handle the messy stuff? If you’re a DIYer, type “DIY” in the comments below. If you’re not a DIYer, type “No DIY” in the comments. I, myself, am a no DIY, but I do occasionally get inspired to do something. Now, let’s keep going with the list of videos.

DASHNER DESIGN AND RESTORATION

The next video is from Dashner Design and Restoration in Minneapolis. Steve Dashner restores vintage mid century modern furniture. Many people have commented that he is the Bob Ross of furniture restoration and watching his videos is like doing a guided meditation. He likes to go thrifting and pick up really beat up pieces like this one and then restore them himself, and he does an amazing job.

I chatted with Steve when asking him if I could feature his video and he mentioned that his cousin Alice owns Long Leaf Lumber right here in Cambridge, Massachusetts where we’re located as well. What a small world. We love using Long Leaf Lumber for their reclaimed wood and other amazing finds. And Steve agreed, we should definitely do a video over there. In this video, Steve purchased a mid century modern Lane Cedar chest for about $75 at a flea market. He strips off all the old finish, which is really disgusting but also satisfying in a kind of gross way, and he even makes new wood knobs because one of them was missing.

THOMAS JOHNSON ANTIQUE FURNITURE RESTORATION

The next video is also from a master restorer, Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration in Maine. This guy is amazing. He starts every one of his videos with footage of local animals running around his property in Maine. He has a lot of videos restoring that old dingy brown furniture that people leave out on the side of the road. In this video, he is doing a restoration of a set of Hans Wegner mid century modern chairs. Next up is this video from Ed and Cindy Hammond of Peerless Rattan. We chose this video on weaving a cane seat because rattan and cane are gaining in popularity, and this seems like an easy way to restore this kind of furniture. It also looks really fun and like a really calm and slow thing to do.

Now you have a great list of repurposed and restored furniture videos that you can bookmark and refer to when you’re DIYing or hiring someone else. Repurposed furniture is our top choice for eco-friendly furniture sources because it’s good for the planet and good for your budget too. Please subscribe to our channel, give the video a thumbs up if you liked it, and share it with someone who you think might find it valuable. We will switch themes after this video to talk about slow gift ideas and winter hygge. And then, after the new year, we’ll be back on topic with this series. The next video in the series will be about sustainable furniture sources when buying new. You can find all these videos in this playlist. Thanks for watching and see you next time.

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If you are a conscious consumer, minimalist or practice slow living, then I’ve got a special Holiday Gift Guide for you with 18 ethical, sustainable, slow and minimalist gift ideas. While the holidays are supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, the over-consumption and waste can be very stressful. So this holiday gift guide focuses on fewer, more meaningful gifts, as well as some more enjoyable ways to shop for them.

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Mette Aamodt: Hey folks, welcome to the Aamodt/Plumb YouTube channel where we give you tips and advice for creating a Slow Home that is Good, Clean and Fair. If you are a conscious consumer, minimalist, or practice slow living, then the holidays can be a particularly challenging time. A lot of the consumption and waste can get in the way of what we’re really celebrating, but we have got a special holiday gift guide for you with 18 ethical, sustainable, slow and minimalist ideas for everyone on your list, as well as some of my tips for slowing down this holiday season. I am Mette Aamodt, co-founder of Aamodt/Plumb Architecture, Interiors and Construction and we design Slow Homes for our clients every day.

Since my diagnosis with MS in 2002 I have been a proponent of slow living. I love the holiday season for the ‘hygge’ – more on that in my next video – but I also tend to get stressed out with all of the extra things to do, like shopping. So this holiday gift guide is going to focus on fewer, more meaningful gifts as well as some more enjoyable ways to shop for them.

Ethical Gift Idea: Haitian Hex Plates by Gift of Hope Haiti

Ethical Gifts

1. I found this bowl set at a Haitian crafts fair. It was actually sponsored by the Vassar Haiti Project, and it’s a beautiful set of bowls and it really reminds me of mid century modern stuff: handmade, carved out of mahogany. I found this site called Gift of Hope Haiti, which is a nonprofit organization that works with local artisans in Haiti to produce these beautiful home goods. This one I’m featuring is a hand card set of mahogany plates in a hex shape that I think are just gorgeous.

Ethical Gift Idea: Macrame bag by Gift of Hope Haiti

2. Gift of Hope Haiti also had this amazing macrame handbag with a mahogany handle, and macrame is super popular right now so I just thought this was adorable.

Alpaca throw from Peru by Serve Haiti

3. When looking for the Haitian bowls I also came across serrv.org, which is a nonprofit that partners with Haitian artisans as well as artisans from all across the world. This is a gorgeous alpaca striped throw from Peru.

Ethical Gift Idea: Palm nesting baskets by Kazi

4. This is a set of fair trade nesting baskets woven from natural materials in Uganda. The set is only $72 and I had mentioned in a previous video that finding ethically made baskets for storing stuff at home is really expensive. So I was really excited to find these.

Kazi’s website

Kazi was founded to create beautiful products to alleviate poverty all across rural Africa, and I got super giddy when I saw their website and this cover page because I love how it ties together a global aesthetic with a kind of minimalist Scandinavian vibe. All of their goods are Fair Trade, ethically made and made with local natural materials. That is, local to the artisans in Africa.

Sustainable Gifts

The next category is sustainable gifts, although I have to mention that almost all of these products are ethical, sustainable, minimalist and slow all at once. I put them into categories just to organize the list, but once you dig into the details you’ll find that they checked a lot of the boxes.

Sustainable Gift Idea: Bee’s Wrap for sustainable food storage

5. These are at the top of Sam Roller’s list, from our office. They are bees wax coated organic cotton cloths that you can use instead of plastic wrap to store your food, wrap up sandwiches, apple slices, things like that for your lunch. This is great because plastic wrap is one of those things that is really, really hard to do without if you’re trying to reduce the amount of plastic in your life.

Now, I did have a set of these at home and I have to admit that I didn’t properly prepare everyone in the household for how these should be cared for and so they got thrown in the washing machine, which removed all of the wax coating and rendered them fairly useless. So it does take a little bit of care and a little bit of learning to figure out how to use them, but I think that once you do, you’ll find that they’re super, super cool.

Sustainable Gift Ideas: August Sage’s Linen Napkins

6. Sarah Lueck suggested reusable cloth napkins to reduce the amount of waste with paper towels and paper napkins. These from August Sage are made of linen, which is one of the most hard-wearing natural materials. They are ethically made in a Fair Trade environment by artisan women in India. I personally don’t like to iron my linen napkins, I like the crumbly casual look and these napkins just get softer and softer over time with use.

Sustainable Gift Ideas: The Citizenry’s Farah Towels

7. One of my suggestions is Hammam style towels. These are thin cotton towels that are quick drying either on the line or in your dryer, much, much faster than terrycloth towels and they look a lot cuter hanging in your bathroom. I have been switching my towels over to these and I’ve been really, really happy with them. These particular ones are from The Citizenry and our handmade in Morocco in a Fair Trade environment.

Before we get into our slow and minimalist ideas, I have a quick question for you: which of these four categories best describes you? Ethical, sustainable, slow, or minimalist? Type that word into the comments below.

I love this time of year because I get lots of reminders of my Norwegian heritage: the darkness, cozy sweaters, candle lights and Christmas decorations all bring out hygge get for me. My next video is going to be all about hygge, slowing down the Scandinavian way, so look out for that on our channel.

Speaking of slowing down, how can we find ways to slow down during the rush of holiday shopping? Next up, I am going to talk about what I plan to do to reduce my stress and improve my enjoyment of holiday shopping this season.

Slow Gifts

8. My first suggestion is not exactly a gift idea, but it’s a way to shop for holiday gifts that I think is less stressful and more enjoyable. I love that my town has lots of little shops, but I know that they struggle. So this year I’m going to avoid the mall and online shopping, and shop local.

9. Shop vintage. I talk a lot about how shopping for pre-owned furniture is really eco-friendly option in this video, so check out more information there.

Slow Gift Idea: Plants from your local nursery

10. Grace Mathieson suggested buying plants from your local nursery. Studies have shown that taking care of plants and pets reduces your overall stress. Plants in particular improve your indoor air quality.

Slow Gift Idea: French press by August Sage

11. The next couple of gift ideas are from August Sage, whose tagline is “modern meets heritage”. I just love that because I think that that is a quintessentially slow concept. Taking old ideas and making them new again. The first item from them is this ceramic French press, which is a classic design made of durable materials, no plastic to be found. And what I’ve heard is among people who really appreciate coffee, French press is the best way to make it.

Slow Gift Idea: August Sage’s Handmade Ceramics

12. The second item from August Sage is this set of hand thrown cups and utensil holders and bowls. Each piece is unique and I love that you can see a band of the raw clay on the bottom of each piece, and a faint line where the glaze meets the ceramic.

Slow Gift Idea: Imperial Yarn Blanket

13. This old school wool blanket is another suggestion from Sarah Lueck. It’s made in the US of all natural wool from a small US company that owns its own sheep and processes the wool without any harsh chemicals.

Slow Gift Idea: Made Trade Wool Booties

14. Another wool product that comes from Made Trade are these handmade wool booties in adult sizes. They’re handmade in Patagonia, not in a factory. They’re made by individual artisans in their homes. I’ve been looking a pair of slippers that doesn’t have foam and plastic in it, and when my felt ones wear out, this is what I’m going to get next.

15. Next up is minimalist gift ideas. David Ascher suggests gift certificates to a local woodworking, ceramics or glass blowing class. This is the “teach a person to fish and feed them for life” approach. This falls into the minimalist category because it prioritizes experience over things.

Slow Gift Idea: Donate a goat through the Gift of Hope Haiti

16. This gift is for the person who really has everything or doesn’t want anything. And this I found at Gift of Hope Haiti. In Haiti, a goat is a very valuable commodity because you can breed them and you can support your family for a long time. So for $60 you will get a picture of this adorable goat and know that you have helped a family in need.

Slow Gift Idea: Nisolo weekender bag

17. This is the only bag you’re ever going to need. And if you’re a minimalist, I challenge you to fit all of your possessions into this bag. This is made by a Nisolo and it is ethically made in Mexico. It’s a waxed canvas bag with leather straps.

18. Even minimalists need some practical stuff, like a dish scrubber. So if you’re going to have one, you might as well get one that sparks joy, like these Japanese handmade scrub brushes. These are from Territory design and are sold individually so you can pick up whichever one suits you best.

I’ve just given you our holiday gift guide with 18 gift ideas that are ethical, sustainable, slow, and minimalist. I’m sure you’re going to be able to find something that you love. I have also shared my number one tip for reducing stress while holiday shopping this year, and that is to avoid them all, bundle up in a cozy sweater and scarf, and take a walk down main street, of course, sitting down for a coffee to warm up along the way. Please subscribe to our channel, give the video a thumbs up if you liked it, and share it with someone who you think might find it valuable. Next video will be all about hygge and slowing down the Scandinavian way, so I’ll see you there.

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In this second installment of the ‘mini-series’ on eco friendly furniture, Mette Aamodt and Sarah Lueck take a deep dive into artisan furniture: what it is, the pros and cons and whether or not it’s an eco friendly option. They’re also going to show you some of their favorite furniture makers and hopefully inspire you when you’re creating your Slow Home.

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Read The Transcript:

Mette Aamodt: Hey folks, welcome to the Aamodt/Plumb YouTube channel where we give you tips and advice for creating a Slow Home that is Good, Clean, and Fair. If you’re at that stage in life where you’re ready to upgrade your furniture in terms of quality and sustainability, then you need to know about artisan furniture. Stay tuned and watch this episode where we tell you everything you need to know.

Today we’re going to talk about artisan furniture, what it is, the pros and cons of investing in high quality, handmade furniture, and whether or not it’s an eco-friendly option. We’re also going to tell you some of our favorite makers and hopefully inspire you when you’re creating your Slow Home.

I’m Mette Aamodt, co-founder of Aamodt/Plumb Architecture, Interiors and Construction, and I’m here with Interiors Associate Sarah Lueck, and we design eco-friendly Slow Homes every day for our clients. Hit the subscribe button and the notification bell right now so you don’t miss any of the videos we’re going to put out.

Woven Bench. Photo Courtesy of Heide Martin.

Now let’s get right into the topic. First off, what is artisan furniture?

Sarah Lueck: These are the future heirlooms made by skilled craftspeople. They are durable, well made, and often timeless.

MA: Why is artisan furniture eco-friendly?

SL: These pieces are the opposite of disposable furniture. They’re meant to last generations surpassing trends and fast fashion. These pieces come from small businesses who produce limited runs, often using sustainable materials and zero waste production methods.

MA: What are the pros of investing in artisan furniture?

At the shop. Photo Courtesy of Sawkille.

SL: As we’ve mentioned, the overall quality of each piece is much higher than mass produced furniture. Each piece is handmade and therefore unique. You can typically work with craftspeople to customize a piece to your needs, whether you need a longer table or a different species of wood. And it goes without saying supporting local artisans is always a good thing.

MA: What are the cons with artisan furniture?

SL: These pieces can often be more expensive than mass produced pieces. They can also take longer to make. However, there are many pieces from places like Crate and Barrel that are just as expensive and take just as long to make.

MA: I’m going to take a little pause here to tell you that this video is part of a miniseries on how to source eco-friendly furniture for your Slow Home. The first video in this series gave you an overview of the goals and strategies for finding eco friendly furniture. If you like this video on artisan furniture, you’re going to love Sarah’s visit to Field and Supply, the New York Maker Fair highlighting so many amazing craftspeople.

MA: Quick question, do you plan to upgrade your furniture in the near future or are you IKEA 4 EVA? If you plan on upgrading, put the word UPGRADE in the comments below. Sarah, what are some examples of artisan furniture makers that our viewers across the country can find?

Windsor Chair with a snake back. Photo Courtesy of O and G.

SL: There’s O and G Studio from Rhode Island, which makes modern versions of classic New England furniture. They’re also experimenting with bright colors and anthropomorphic shapes like this awesome Windsor chair with a snake back.

This is Sawkille, a Hudson Valley studio that draws on history to create fresh new designs. I love their studio culture where they have a daily communal home cooked lunch.

Heide Martin, who’s a Maine-based artisan, and she creates clean Scandinavian meets Shaker pieces. Her workshop also offers shared space for other craftspeople in the area.

MA: We hope this video has inspired you with all of the amazing artisan furniture makers, keeping craft alive and making pieces that will last for generations. Please subscribe to our channel and give this a thumbs up if you liked it and please share with someone who you think might find it valuable.

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Links Mentioned In The Video:

O and G Studio- https://www.oandgstudio.com/
Sawkille- https://www.sawkille.com/
Heide Martin- http://www.heidemartin.com/

The post Investing In Artisan Furniture For Your Slow Home appeared first on Aamodt / Plumb.

In this video, Mette and Sarah will teach you 3 eco friendly goals to keep in mind and four strategies for sourcing eco friendly furniture from best to worst. They’ll also give you a few additional suggestions for what to look for if you prefer new furniture.

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READ THE TRANSCRIPT:

Mette Aamodt: Hey folks, welcome to the Aamodt / Plumb channel where we give you tips and advice for creating a Slow Home that is good, clean, and fair. If you are a conscious consumer and want to know how to shop for eco friendly furniture that is good for people and the planet, then keep watching.

In this video you are going to learn three goals to keep in mind when shopping for eco friendly furniture, four sources from best to worst, and additional things to consider when shopping for new furniture. I’m Mette Aamodt, co-founder of Aamodt / Plumb Architecture, Interiors, and Construction. And I’m here with Interiors Associate Sarah Lueck and we design and build eco friendly, Slow Homes for our clients every day. When it comes to eco friendly furniture, we have three goals.

1. Reduce waste and new production. Basically, buy less new stuff to reduce pollution, save raw materials, and divert stuff from landfills.
2. When choosing new, aim for things that are made sustainably, will last a long time, and will be healthy for your indoor environment.
3. Support local economies, small crafts people, and ethical manufacturers that pay a living wage and create safe working conditions.

Now that we have defined our goals, let’s get into the four strategies for sourcing eco-friendly furniture. The best option is restore and repurpose old furniture.

Sarah Lueck: Restoring is essentially bringing a piece of furniture back to its original condition. And you can either do that yourself as a DIY’er or you can hire a professional. If you want to repurpose, there are a number of ways to take one piece of furniture and change it into a new thing for a new use. Again, that’s something that you can either DIY or you can hire a professional furniture designer or contractor to help you.

MA: The second option is reusing old furniture that does not need to be fixed up. So think antiques, vintage, or pre-owned used furniture.

SL: There’s some great sources locally in your area. Craigslist is amazing for furniture, either antique or just pre-owned. There are also antique stores or consignment shops that have usually a really great turnover, so it’s great to keep checking those. Regionally, there are antique fairs, typically in most metropolitan areas that you can search for online. And then nationally, there are places like Chairish and 1stdibs that are excellent sources for either pre-owned or vintage or antique furniture.

MA: What do you think about flea markets and garage sales?

SL: Those are awesome. If you have the time to go see those, be the first one there.

MA: So those two options were both reusing old furniture. Let’s take a little pause for right now because I want to tell you that we’re actually producing a mini series on sourcing eco friendly furniture. This one is the general overview of all the sources and goals. And in the upcoming videos, we’re going to take a deep dive into each one of these sources. So for example, our next video will be all about artisan furniture. Then there will be more about repurposed furniture, sustainable sources, et cetera.

Now let’s keep going with our list. Maybe vintage is not really your thing and you really prefer to buy new furniture. Let’s talk about some sources for that.

Photo Courtesy of FN Furniture. Photo: Patrick Farrell

For new eco friendly furniture, our first suggestion is to look for small shops.

SL: I think starting locally or regionally is the way to go. We like FN Furniture in New York. We just found them, and they practice zero waste in their fabrication of their new furniture. They CNC pieces out of a single sheet of plywood with zero scrap material and we think that’s really cool.

Nationally there are small shops out there. Schoolhouse is one that we’ve loved for years. They started small, just making lighting, and now they’ve expanded to include furniture and home accessories.

Then internationally, for example, there is Goodee, a Canadian collective, who sources sustainable furniture and home accessories from around the world.

MA: The fourth source is new furniture from large retailers. Now this is still a good option if you are careful about who you buy from.

SL: For example, if you are local to Boston like us, Circle Furniture is a family-run furniture company that’s been in the area for over 70 years. But if you were in, say for example, North Carolina, the large furniture company, Lee Industries would be local to you.

Nationally we are seeing many household names aligning themselves with sustainable furniture practices. For example, West Elm has a number of eco-friendly and ethical-sourced furniture lines. There is also Blu Dot and Room & Board, who are both US companies. They manufacture in the US and they use clean and sustainable materials and methods.

For international companies, we love IKEA for their holistic approach to sustainability. They use sustainably sourced raw materials whenever possible. They have a goal of zero waste factories and stores and they get back to their communities.

Photo Courtesy of Goodee

MA: So when you’re buying new, there are other factors we want you to consider. If you’re not going off of these recommendations, you want to look for sustainably harvested materials, ethically and sustainably run fabrication processes, ethical employee wage and work conditions, quality and durable construction – in other words, something that’s not disposable – materials that are biodegradable or recyclable, and materials void of toxic chemicals that are bad for your indoor air quality and also for the environment.

Now you have learned three goals to keep in mind when buying eco-friendly furniture for your Slow Home, four sources for that furniture, as well as additional tips to bear mind when you’re buying new.

Please subscribe to our channel. Give this video a thumbs up, or thumbs down, if you found it valuable and please share it with someone who you think might find it useful.

Join us in the next videos in this series, where we take a deep dive into each one of these sources. See you next time.

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Links Mentioned In Video

Goodee: https://www.goodeeworld.com/pages/our-story
FN Furniture: https://www.fnfurniture.com/
Schoolhouse: https://www.schoolhouse.com/pages/about-us

The post How To Source Eco Friendly Furniture For Your Slow Home appeared first on Aamodt / Plumb.

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READ THE TRANSCRIPT:

Mette Aamodt: Hey, folks. Welcome to the Aamodt / Plumb YouTube channel, where we give you tips and advice on creating a Slow Home that is good, clean, and fair. I’m Mette Aamodt, co-founder of Aamodt / Plumb: Architecture, Interiors & Construction, and I’ll be your host. Today I’m going to share with you my tips on finding eco friendly storage bins, as alternatives to plastic bins, that are cheap and sometimes free, for your Slow Home.

If you’re like me, then you’re on a mission to reduce the amount of plastic in your home. Why? Because plastic can leach into the food that you eat, it can off gas into the air that you breathe, and it’s generally terrible for the environment. It’s also not very beautiful and I prefer to surround myself with things that are made of natural materials, because it’s been shown that natural materials and a connection to nature really calms the mind and the body, and that’s really important for a Slow Home.

I have taken some strides to replace my plastic food storage containers and even those plastic kids’ cups and bowls with glass jars like these, and I use these small Pyrex bowls that the kids love. They’re not fragile at all and I get them at my local hardware store. I also have some Pyrex containers like this. They do have plastic lids, and I haven’t figured out how to avoid that yet. If you have any advice, please let me know.

We also have a lot of wood toys – some pretty cool ones. These are called American Bricks. These were Andrew’s father’s toys when he was a little kid and he saved them. They’re kind of like wooden LEGOs and you can make all sorts of things with them. But we were storing them in plastic bins. Now, don’t get me wrong, plastic bins are eternally useful and I’m not going to throw them away. I just made a promise to myself that I would not buy any new ones and I would phase out the old ones. I’m going to donate them or sell them at yard sales or something like that. They definitely shouldn’t go into landfills.

But what am I going to use as an alternative? Now, I could go out and buy ethically-made artisanal woven baskets from local artisans, but those tend to run a couple of hundred dollars each and I’m on a budget. So what I’m going to do today is show you some tips that I use for replacing my plastic storage bins with eco friendly storage bins.

1. Goodwill

Tip number one, Goodwill baskets. A couple of weeks ago I went to the Goodwill and I just looked for baskets. I found these two, a dollar apiece. Interesting shapes, not the most beautiful baskets in the world, but they’re going to do the job. These hold diapers and these hold toys, and if it turns out I can’t find a place for them, I’m just going to donate them again.

2. Found Objects

Tip number two, found objects. Now, occasionally things come in the mail and sometimes it’s in really nice packaging. There was a flower arrangement in this one. This is a nice cardboard box, it doesn’t have any markings or stickers on it. I use things like this to organize my pantry cabinets. I’ll show you a picture of that (below). Some fancy chocolates came in this one. It had a ribbon and a wax seal, which I took off and sanded, but this is the kind of little storage container that my kids love to hide little treasures in.

Use found objects as eco friendly storage bins, like this cardboard box I use to organize my pantry, instead of plastic.

Then the best thing I’ve found so far – and you need to keep your eyes open because these treasures are all around you – someone was throwing away this crate. It was right outside of our office and it was out in the trash. Now, at something like the Brimfield Antiques Fair, you would probably pay $30 or $40 for one of these. It was free!

3. Wine Crates

Tip number three, wine crates. Okay, I have been looking for these for a while. I was even on Etsy and willing to pay $13 for one of these crates until I realized the shipping was going to be $20. That was a nonstarter for me. So the next time I went into my local wine store and I was buying some wine for myself, I just asked them. I said, “Do you have any of these wood crates that you’re going to throw away?” And they said, “Yeah, how many do you want?” I had to hold myself back from saying 15 or more, so I just said two to three, and he said sure. So I’m thinking to myself, okay, every time I go and buy wine, I’m going to ask for a couple of these crates. They were just in their basement, they were probably going to go into a landfill.

Wine crates sometimes have beautiful markings on them, making them a great eco friendly storage bin.

These are beautiful. They’re completely solid. They would be great as toy bins. I use them to store old papers, even in my closet to organize my sweaters. They are solid wood. They already served their purpose. I had to pull out a few staples and sand a few edges, but that’s about it. These all came from Europe, so the fancy wines get shipped in these. They sometimes have beautiful markings on them. They can serve as great large storage bins in your house, and these were completely free.

Now, I’ve given you three tips. We’ve got so far a total of eight bins and baskets for a total cost of $2.

4. Vintage Baskets

My next tip, tip number four, is for if you want to do a little splurge. What I like to do is first off go to Etsy. This is a beautiful woven basket at Etsy. This is the kind of piece, I think I paid $20 for this, that you would have out on your coffee table. It’s a really nice basket. Put remotes in it or a little flower arrangement or whatever. You can figure out a ton of uses for this beautiful basket. So that was kind of a splurge for me, but I think it was worth it.

Then this one I found at a vintage mid-century modern furniture store. Now, this really wasn’t their style. You can see this as a lot more traditional. But it’s a beautifully woven basket with a lot of detail. If you know baskets, which I don’t really, you will recognize that at an antique store this might go for $100 or $150. But because this wasn’t really their bag at the mid-century modern place, I got it for $30. Took it home, cleaned it up a little bit, and now it’s one of the nicer baskets that I have.

Okay, so I’ve showed you 10 bins and baskets for a total cost of $52. Now, I think that’s pretty comparable to the plastic and it’s a whole lot more beautiful.

Now, even though all these bins and baskets are very different, very eclectic, they’re all made of natural materials: straw, wood, etc. Therefore, they all have similar tones and so they really go well together even though they’re completely different styles. They would look really good on just some basic white shelves.

What tips do you have for finding eco friendly storage bins? If you have any answers or any more questions, please put it in the comments below. Please like this video if you enjoyed hearing about this and these great tips, and subscribe to my channel so you always get updated on new videos I put out. Thanks for watching.

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Contents

What Is Design Build And Why Does It Matter
History Of Design Build
Understanding Where We Are Today: Design Bid Build
Design Build: Return Of The Master Builder
Two Types Of Design Build Firms
Advantages Of Architect Led Design Build
Conclusion

What Is Design Build And Why Does It Matter

Once upon a time, before email and airplanes, telephones and railways, the job of designing and building was the responsibility of one entity, not divided up between two or more like we find today. These days design is the responsibility of the Architect and construction is the responsibility of the Builder. The Owner ends up somewhere in the middle, having contracts with each of them. This is the way we at Aamodt / Plumb worked for more than a decade. It is what we were taught and what most Architects do. As we struggled to grow our business we found it was very difficult to work this way. The Owners, Builders and ourselves were often frustrated by communication problems, contractual roadblocks and inefficiency. In an effort to find a new way to practice we ended up rediscovering a very old way, ‘Design Build’.

Design Build is a project delivery method where the Owner hires a single entity to both design and construct their project, as opposed to hiring an Architect and Builder separately.

History of Design Build

For thousands of years Architects and Builders were one and the same. They were called Master Builders. In fact, the word ‘architect’ derives from the Greek ‘arkhi’ (chief) and ‘tekton’ (builder). Vitruvius, who lived around 50 BC, was a Roman Architect, which meant he designed buildings and did construction, engineering, landscape architecture and urban planning. Vitruvius was clearly a learned man and we know of him because of his enduring text “The Ten Books on Architecture,” however there was no formal education in architecture at the time. During the Renaissance Architects had a similarly broad role, sometimes including philosophy, painting and craftsmanship as well. In the 15th century Leonardo da Vinci was a self-taught Architect that learned by working as an apprentice in a painter’s studio. In fact, all Architect’s were self-taught or learned through apprenticeship, usually as masons, carpenters and artisans.

Making things with your hands was a valuable, respected skill up until the 1800’s when the Industrial Revolution increased the scale of production through machinery. Hundreds of thousands of people were now making things in low skill jobs that were associated with the grime and pollution of coal-fired factories and crowded cities. Architects of the time wanted to distance themselves from these dirty makers and hide in their ivory towers. Thus began the professionalization of Architects and the fissure between them and the Builders. This transition is beautifully illustrated in this video by Gluck+, an Architect Led Design Build firm in New York.

Thinker Maker from GLUCK+ on Vimeo.

Understanding Where We Are Today: Design Bid Build

With two entities, the Architect and Builder, the typical sequence today is for the Architect to design the building and then help the owner bid it out to several Builders, ultimately choosing one to build the project. This process is called ‘Design Bid Build’. It evolved out of the split between Architects and Builders and maintains the clear distinctions and responsibilities of each party. The entire industry has evolved its legal and insurance practices around this model entrenching the chasm even further. The advantage most often touted is that competitive bidding will result in the lowest possible construction cost. Government projects are always run this way because they are required to accept the lowest bidder.

Design Bid Build can make the Owner feel squeezed.

For the first decade of Aamodt / Plumb we operated in this way. We wanted to do things ‘by the book’ and the American Institute of Architects’ “Handbook of Professional Practice” said this is how you do it. It’s a large format, 500+ page hardbound book published by our professional organization and we had it open on our desks during our entire first project. But despite doing everything right we were sued by the builder for doing what the book, and our AIA contract, required us to do.

Let me digress and tell you the story. The design was challenging and the builder was behind schedule. They were feeling the pressure and quit at the end of the job. Our contract with the Owner required that we visit the site and certify that they were indeed no longer working, had removed all of their tools and equipment and therefore were in breach of their contract with the Owner. We did that and later the Builder sued us for tortious interference with their contract. They also sued the Owner, but since they had a contract with the Owner there were provisions for arbitration and mediation. We had no contract with them so they sued us in court, which you can do in the US for almost any reason. Even though we did nothing wrong our insurance company settled with the Builder for an unreasonable sum, which we then paid back in increased premiums. But no one came out unscathed in this process. The Builder almost went broke and the Owner had an incomplete house, legal bills and a lot of headaches.

We soldiered on under the Design Bid Build model for many more years coming to understand very personally many of its disadvantages. My story above illustrates the first disadvantage. Architects and Builders are set in an adversarial relationship. Instead of working together they are working against each other, each one having their own contract with the Owner. Since they don’t have a contract with each other there is no way to set the ground rules of how the relationship will work. And this leads to conflict. Most often the conflict does not end in court but manifests in regular miscommunication, finger pointing, delays, cost overruns and quality issues.

In the Design Bid Build model, Architects and Builders are set in an adversarial relationship.

I also do not believe that the Design Bid Build model leads to the lowest overall project cost. The Owner may have the impression that they are getting the best possible construction cost at the time of bidding but the costs can go up later. The Builder may have missed some of the scope or may be cutting costs by substituting cheaper materials or paying people under the table. They will likely try to make up some of the difference in change orders which could ultimately cost more than the higher bids.

Overall project costs are also higher because the Architect is being paid during construction to monitor the Builder and make sure he is delivering what is designed. Sometimes there is also an additional Owner’s Project Manager that monitors both the Architect and the Builder and this additional oversight costs money. So what seemed like a bargain actually isn’t.

Caveat Emptor! Please don’t try to save money by skipping the Architect’s oversight during construction because you will lose all the value you invested in the design in the first place. I often explain to people that the great looking projects you see on our website are 50% design and 50% follow-through during construction. If we are not there to shepherd the project through during construction then we cannot guarantee these results. Great Builders will also insist on having the Architect involved in this stage because they know it is key to completing a fantastic project.

I often explain to people that the great looking projects you see on our website are 50% design and 50% follow-through during construction.

Many Builders and Architects have recognized the disadvantages that the Design Bid Build model sets up from the outset. In fact I have interviewed many of them for my article “Architects vs Builders” in Custom Builder Magazine. They try to overcome the challenges by forging strong relationships together and by getting the Builder involved very early in the process. This helps a lot with communication and quality but does not fix the underlying contractual hurdles to truly working as a team.

The AIA has also tried to overcome these problems by promoting the Integrated Project Delivery Method whereby the Owner, Architect and Builder jointly form an LLC to complete the project. This may work for large institutions but is overkill for homeowners. As a homeowner myself, I just want to find one entity that can take care of everything and make the process as simple as possible for me, so I can go about the business of living my life. Is that so much to ask?

Design Build: Return Of The Master Builder

Enter Design Build. The Owner hires one entity to both design and construct their house. It is just like hiring a Master Builder, aka what an Architect used to be. And shazam, what was old is now new again! I love it when that happens. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel, we just need to rediscover the round one that worked much better than this square one we have got right now.

Architect Led Design Build from GLUCK+ on Vimeo.

After about 10 years of struggling we found this second video from Gluck+ illustrating a better way. So Aamodt / Plumb launched a construction division in 2017 and we have never looked back. Andrew became a licensed contractor and we started offering construction services to our existing clients. When asked if they wanted this new service, their response was an overwhelming “duh?!”

Design Build leaves the Owner feeling more confident about the process.

The biggest advantage for the Owner is having a single source of responsibility. No more communication problems or finger pointing between the Architect and Builder. No more dropped balls or cut corners. And there are several other advantages. With our new construction capabilities we can offer the Owner cost estimating throughout the design process to avoid big surprises later. There is no need to charge Architecture fees to monitor the Builder during construction because we are one and the same. The huge amount of paperwork documenting the flow of information between the Builder and Architect, required in case of future legal conflict, is eliminated and those savings are passed on to the Owner.

Two Types Of Design Build Firms

But at this point I would like to make a distinction between two types of Design-Build companies. The vast majority of Design Build firms are led by Builders. They hire in Architects on staff to do the design and drawings necessary to get building permits and build the house. These are not the best designers. Sorry guys, but you know it as well as I do. The Builders don’t charge much, if anything at all, for the design services and as the saying goes “you get what you pay for.” This is a good solution if you want a basic house, but if design is a priority for you then the second type of Design Build firm is better.

There are a few Design Build firms run by Architects and this is where it really gets interesting. On the West Coast it is becoming quite common with great examples like Marmol Radziner. In Europe and Latin America this is also a common model for residential projects. In the Northeast there are only a few Architects doing this and one has been a huge inspiration to us: Gluck+ in New York. They have coined the term Architect Led Design Build. Whereas the Builder Led Design Build is construction with a pinch of design, Architect Led Design Build is a real balance between design and construction – Arkhitekton returns.

Architect Led Design Build offers the best value to the Owner compared with Builder Led Design Build or Design Bid Build. Yes, you will pay for design services, and if you choose a great architect you will get a fantastic house, but you will not overpay by duplicating the efforts of the Architect and Builder during construction. You will also benefit in time and money from streamlined communication and your overall risk will be greatly reduced by having a single point of responsibility.

Architect Led Design Build offers the best value to the Owner compared with Builder Led Design Build or Design Bid Build.

If it is surprising how few Architects have switched to this model then you underestimate the brainwashing that we have gotten throughout most of our careers. Most Architects prefer to stay in their lane and they have been told construction is too risky. Based on the experience we had with our first project, we disagree. We feel more confident about mitigating our risks if we can control the whole process so this makes Architect Led Design Build a win-win for us and the Owner.

Advantages Of Architect Led Design Build

• Single-point responsibility
• Greater cost savings and earlier cost certainty
• “Value Engineering” at conceptual stages rather than too late, after project design is complete
• Better communication
• Speed of completion
• Fewer disputes and litigation
• Higher quality outcomes
• Clear roles, responsibilities and accountability
• Less administrative burden
• Reduced risk to the Owner
• Reduced risk to Design Consultants and Subcontractors which results in lower construction costs, greater efficiencies and fewer litigation claims

Conclusion

There is nothing new about the Design Build or Architect Led Design Build project delivery approach. In fact that was how buildings were designed and built for thousands of years because it worked really well. There are numerous advantages to the Owner including reduced risk, cost and time, as well as improved quality of the final project. For custom homes this method provides the best value balancing design, cost and quality and should be an important consideration for any Homeowner.

To get a step-by-step overview of the Aamodt / Plumb Architect Led Design Build process you can download this game board (including legend).

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Each day offered new living experiences that were a revelation to me. – Joseph Eichler

At a time when modern architecture was exclusive to the white and wealthy, Joseph Eichler, and his company Eichler Homes, built nearly 11,000 mid-century modern homes for the middle class. They challenged what homes should look like and how families could live. He was the only merchant builder in the United States that partnered with skilled architects, used quality materials and built homes for everybody, regardless of race or religion. For many families, his homes were more than just homes, they represented a new way of living that has not been equaled since.

In the early 1940s, it was still uncommon to find merchant builders that worked with architects to construct housing developments. However, Joseph Eichler was inspired by modernist architects such as Richard Neutra and Frank Lloyd Wright, and wanted to bring quality but affordable modern architecture to post-WWII American families. He would achieve this by aligning himself with progressive, empathetic architects such as Anshen & Allen, Jones & Emmons and later Claude Oakland. Together their designs emphasized social change, progressive planning and beauty. This style later came to be known as “California Modern”.

At first, the Eichler homes were seen as unconventional, with their low or flat sloped roofs, horizontal forms, and few if any windows on the front facade. However, the interiors were filled with light through floor to ceiling windows around private courtyards and skylights. The interiors were fitted with local materials, such as redwood, and built-in furniture. In additional, they emphasized open planning which allowed for subtle lines across public and private areas. Later models introduced the Eichler atrium, an entrance foyer that straddle the line between indoors and outdoors. His whole ethos was based on bringing the outdoors inside and creating spaces for both socializing and privacy. Furthermore, he believed that all families should experience the joys of living in a modern home.

His mission was to bring a holistic approach to home and community building. Born in New York to European Jews, he was raised in a politically liberal family within a culturally diverse community. He insisted that his homes be open to all buyers, regardless of religion or race during an era of open racial discrimination. When the National Association of Home Builders refused to adopt a non-discrimination policy, he famously resigned. When homeowners in Marin opposed African-Americans moving into the neighborhood, he created a policy of buying back the houses if the new families did not feel welcome. Thankfully, no one took him up on this offer.

Throughout the 1950s and 60s, Eichler Homes received countless design awards, both national and international, although at the time, they never achieved large profits. Still, he left behind a legacy in residential homes. Today, his homes are highly desirable, both amongst architecture buffs and everyday families. A current listing priced an Eichler home at $1.8 million.

Buildings should be built to last, and the unique and iconic design of the Eichler homes are still in high demand today. His homes obviously have much to teach us. In an era of material excess and increasingly vocal discrimination, we need community developments that address low income housing, neglected urban spaces and isolated suburbs. The spaces where we live, work and visit have a huge impact on our lives, health and mood. Therefore, Eichler Homes serve to remind us of what we value and want to bring to the next generation – affordable, inclusive and beautiful modern homes.

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Architecture both reflects and compliments the culture that creates it.

Norwegian Architectural Theorist Christian Nordberg-Schulz was the first to define a specifically Nordic architectural identity in his book Nightlands. By his definition Nordic Modernism is freedom from stylistic dogma of the past and return to basic principles that combine openness & dynamism with an identity of place and sense of home.

These are the 7 basic principles of Nordic design and culture.

Atmosphere: Trollstigen Rest Stop, Norway. Photographed by diephotodesigner.

Atmosphere

In Southern Europe there is a clear distinction between day and night. The sun is either on or off, like a light. And when it is on it is directly overhead for most of the day creating a constant, stable lighting condition and sense of space. This strong overhead light casts sharp shadows that compliment the iconic forms of classical architecture.

In the North for much of the year there is continuous twilight where the sun’s oblique angles create a moody, shifting light. The light creates space that has no distinct boundary or clear form. It is incomplete and experiential.

Mutability: Villa Mairea by Alvar Aalto, Finland. Photographed by ÅKE E:SON LINDMAN

Mutability

In the Nordic countries the lighting conditions and the weather are constantly changing. The weather is unstable, unpredictable and dynamic compared to the South.

In Norwegian the word for weather is “vær” and the verb “å være” means “to be.” Therefore the whole notion of existence is “to be in a changing, shifting, unpredictable world” (CNS). It creates in the people a sense of openness along with a rejection of a single dogma or style. In the North you are never sure what the day may bring and so it is important to be prepared. As the saying goes “There is no bad weather, only bad clothing.”

This openness, flexibility and preparedness seems to me to be so well suited to our current 21st century culture of rapid innovation, population migration and climate change.

Domesticity: Scandinavian home in the forest

Domesticity

The sense of comfort, wellbeing and refuge is strong in the Nordic countries and the architecture uses “forms that do not threaten, but invite.”

The word “rom,” meaning space or room, evolved from the word “rydning,” which means clearing. Space, therefore, is a clearing in the forest, an aperture in nature that humans have created and where they will live. In the North, domestic life revolves around the home. In the South life takes place in the piazza and Italians do not have a word for “home.”

Domesticity also focuses on daily use and customs, on the practical things of life, like furnishings, utensils and lighting. These things are designed for function, not for style.

Engagement: Town Hall in Denmark

Engagement

Participation in the world is a fundamental principle of the Nordic Region. And this begins with nature. “Nature implies nearness and empathy; here one lives with and among things, as a participant in a web of phenomena.” (CNS)

There is a shared Nordic ethos of purposeful, intimate and ethical interaction between citizens. The forest, the web of life, represents this sense of community, continuity and connectedness. This social responsibility is evident in the humanism of Nordic Design.

Functionality: Stokke Tripp Trapp Kids Chair

Functionality

Functionality arises out of the tradition of custom and use and is related to domesticity. For the farmers and fishermen things need only be simple, basic, useful and essential. Nothing should be fancy but it should be well made so as to last a long time. Craftsmanship and the building tradition play an important role in the lives of the people and community.

Equity: Sverre Fehn’s Nordic Pavilion, Venice. Photographed by Åke E:son Lindman.

Equity

Social responsibility in the Nordics arises out of a different brand of individualism. Instead of “everyone for themselves” Nordic individualism says that everyone should be provide equal rights and freedoms, including women, children and immigrants. An old fable called “The Law of Jante,” whose moral is that no one is better than anyone else, still dictates social customs, workplace etiquette and public policy.

This is the basis for the Nordic Model of Social Democracy. It combines the free market and the welfare state, collective bargaining, free education and healthcare. It can be seen in examples like IKEA’s mission to democratize design by making it more affordable as well as in Sverre Fehn’s 1954 Nordic Pavilion that is open, inclusive and democratic.

Modernity: Snøhetta’s Opera Hall, Norway. Photographed by Andia.

Modernity

Modernity was embraced after WWII in both the social welfare model and design and the Nordics never looked back. They rejected the dogma of Fascism and the stylistic rules of the past, specifically Classicism. Their modern values and societal optimism were intentionally reflected in contemporary expressions of architecture and design.

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I was also pleased to see that it had been loved and cared for over the last 20 years since we sold it. Besides some landscaping upgrades, the house itself was well maintained but otherwise the same. And that is because it is a great house, designed by a great architect (unknown) and appreciated for its design by architect after architect who lived there.

My father, as you may know, is an architect and my parents bought the house right after we moved there from Norway when I was 4. I remember them telling me about the unique V-shaped design that orientated all the rooms away from the neighbors so there would be privacy without a need for curtains. I sketched out the plan above from my memory to show you.

At the bottom of the V was the dining room with full window walls on two sides overlooking the backyard and marsh land to the south. We LIVED in that room. With no shades and no visible neighbors we basked in the sunlight from morning ‘til night. My bedroom was directly above the dining room so even when I was alone I had the light.

We sadly sold the house when I went off to college and my parents divorced. But the couple who bought it were an architect and a business person, just like my parents, and had young kids who would grow up there just like me. I wonder which lucky duck got my room?

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To be honest Audis have never been on my radar. I have been partial to BMWs since my dad drove a 3-series in the early 90’s and I always thought that would be my grown-up car. But our friend Bryan, who is our go-to car-guy, said that was BMW’s classic period and that since then the styling has gotten more aggressive. Today Audi is more classic. It has a clean design aesthetic that is understated and unpretentious, while just as luxurious as its competitors.

After collecting some more anecdotal evidence, a quick Google search lead me to an interview with Audi’s head designer in Wallpaper* Magazine in which he defined Audi’s brand as being sporty, progressive, and sophisticated. I also noticed Audi was sponsoring a fundraising gala at the Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston. Then the final piece of the puzzle fell into place – a press release from Audi stating it has been the only automotive brand present at the internationally renowned art show Design Miami / Basel since 2006.

“Design Miami / Basel is one of the highlights on the international design show calendar, and it is the most significant forum for design lovers… The brand’s passion for design has taken the form of various projects with international designers and architects….”

Aha! It was deliberate. Audi has positioned itself as the design lover’s car. Well played Audi! Your clean lines and single-frame grill snuck up on me. You didn’t shout or honk or even grrr as you surrounded me but now design lovers  is all I see.

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Less is more – Mies van der Rohe

Villa Tugendhat is a modern home designed by the German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for the industrial heirs Grete and Fritz Tugendhat. Completed in 1930 in Brno, Czech Republic, the modern house is a steel-framed, glass and concrete construction finished on the interior with some remarkable materials, such as ebony and onyx.

Built on an extreme slope, Mies divided the front and back into public and private faces. On the street side, the building is just one story but on the garden side it is two stories. The steel supporting columns have a cross-sectional profile and are anchored in concrete bases and brick masonry. In the main living area, the columns have a brass chromium plating while those on the terraces have a brass cladding with a patina coating.

In the main living area, individual zones are divided by walls of striking materials, such as the honey and yellow colored onyx from Morocco and the half-circular wall of Macassar ebony wood from the island of Celebes in south-east Asia. Two large windows opposite the onyx wall and the dining area can be retracted via electric motors all the way to the floor, opening up to the gardens.

Mies also designed all the furniture in the house, precisely choosing the placement of each piece. The furniture includes some of his finest designs, including the Brno chair, the Tugendhat chair and the X coffee table.

Just 8 years after its construction, the Tugendhats fled the country before the German occupation. The Nazi Gestapo set up flats and offices in the abandoned house, during World War II. A calvary regiment also moved in, all of which devastated the house. The linoleum on the floors were destroyed by the hooves of the horses. Most of the windows were blown out during the air raids. Furniture was either used as wood fuel or was stolen. The height of the chimney was also increased and additional inner walls were inserted in the interiors.

Upon liberation from the Soviet Army in 1945, a private dancing school was situated in the Villa until 1950. Later it became a rehabilitation center for children with spinal defects as part of a nearby children’s hospital until the end of the 1960s. In 1967, Grete returned to the Villa with experts, aiming to restore it; however, the Communist era intervened and stalled full efforts.

In 1992, the Villa was used in the formal signing that separated the country into present day Czech Republic and Slovakia. Two years later, it was opened as a museum to the public. In 2001, it was designated a Unesco World Heritage Site as an outstanding example of the International Style in the Modern Movement in architecture. Finally, in 2011, a full renovation and restoration of its original appearance was completed. In addition, the interiors were equipped with exact replicas of the original furniture.

Love modern homes? So do we! Check out our list of 7 Best Modern Homes of All Time!

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We are passionate about life, not in a bungee jumping kind of way, but in a ‘la dolce vita’ kind of way. We enjoy long walks in the woods, sitting in cafes sipping espresso and listening to the fire crackle. We like to savour life and enjoy all of its wonderful sensual pleasures. We are passionate about life because one day everything changed.

Mette and Andrew are partners in life and work.

Mette was introduced to architecture at a young age spending time in her father’s architecture office after school. Andrew found architecture on his own. As a freshman at MIT, he chose to live in a curvy brick dormitory because it just felt good to him to be there. That building turned out to be Baker Hall which was designed by Alvar Aalto – the great Finnish architect and one of the giants of 20th century modern design.

By the time they met, Mette had travelled widely, lived and worked abroad and was fluent in three languages. Andrew’s international travels had consisted of a one way flight from Panama to Miami and he had managed to learn exactly one language.

Mette and Andrew first crossed paths at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design in 1998. It turns out they had many of the same down-to-earth values, based in part, on their shared Scandinavian heritage. Mette was born in Norway and her father is Norwegian and Andrew’s family has its roots in Finland and Sweden.

In school, they collaborated on many projects. Then suddenly, one week before Mette’s thesis review, she went blind in her right eye. She chalked it up to stress and Andrew helped her finish her final project. After graduation she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.

It was a terrible blow to both of them as they were just starting their careers in a profession notorious for its long hours. In order for Mette to be healthy they had to slow down and find balance without sacrificing the work they wanted to do.

Mette and Andrew at Architizer A+ Awards

They started their own firm in 2007, when a potential client asked them to create an ambitious modern beach house in East Quogue, in the Hamptons. With their own business, they were able to create their own philosophy – designing lives for long term health and happiness. They believe that architecture has the ability to help people live better, feel better and be better. Ten years later, this venture has matured into an award-winning firm focused on creating beautiful modern homes for a nationwide list of clientele who share these same values.

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